As parents, we want to raise responsible and empathic adults who will think of the environment around them and the people in it, who will overcome struggles and strive to be the best they can be, and who will, ultimately, be emotionally and physically happy and healthy. I am sure that I’m not wrong in suggesting that most of us who aren’t parents want the same of other people’s kids, since they are the generation that will, one day, be our politicians, economists, bankers, law enforcers, medical workers, scientists, teachers, and artists. I would even go so far as to say that nobody wants a generation of power-hungry money-grabbing narcissists helping to run or ruin the world in forty years time; we are all decent people here. I hope. So how do we help our offspring to develop into thoughtful and caring individuals who will protect the environment and the animals and plants within it, who will understand their own privileges and care about the rights of all people, particularly when we live such busy and stressful lives?

Learning by example

There is one way to spend time with our children, strengthen that bond, and build social awareness and responsibility for the world around us: volunteering as a family. By volunteering with our children, we can help them to widen their perspective from the immediate bubble of their daily lives and to understand the bigger picture. We can provide them with an opportunity to develop relationships with different people from different cultures. Teach commitment. Help them to feel good about themselves. And, raise adults who are kind, respectful and empathic. ​

​Once children are exposed to helping other people, it starts to become a habit.Ellen Sabin, author of "The Giving Book: Open the Door to a Lifetime of Giving"

​So where do I start?

Expatgiving can help. We can put you in touch with Boys’ Town, a registered charity that supports children and young adults who come from disadvantaged families, who may have faced hardships due to financial struggles, emotional trauma and abuse.

The money that you and your family raise could help vulnerable children to learn strategies and skills to cope with their traumas and lives.

Boys’ Town needs people like you to help raise much-needed funds by selling flags for their national event, Flag Day 2017, on 31st May. The minimum age to get involved is 15 years. It’s a one-off island-wide event, so you can sell flags across Singapore. All that we ask is that you return your donation tin to your chosen volunteer centre. The money that you raise can help fund family-based care, counselling, and residential care to boys to help them to discover and develop their strengths and talents.

Let’s help our children to help others to fulfil their rights. Let’s show them how their actions can help make other people’s lives better. After all, they are the ones who will be running the show in a few years time.

​Author

In this day and age, there are many different types of families. Some consist of two parents and children. Some are extended and have aunties, uncles and grandparents living under one roof. Some families have only one parent looking after children. Others merge together to create a new family unit. There is no right or wrong family structure; as long as the members of that family love and support each other to thrive and to be successful then that should be all that matters. ​

​Building blocks of the community

Care Corner Singapore is a registered charity that believes that strong and stable families are the foundation upon which a community is built, and that a vibrant family life is fundamental to personal growth. They support more than 50,000 people across the country through a network of services, including children and youth, elderly, special needs, counselling and family intervention.

The charity is working with the The Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) to reach out to transnational couples and spouses, that is to say a relationship or marriage between two people from different countries. The number of transnational marriages between a Singapore citizen and a person from another country (excluding permanent residents) has been growing steadily, from 23 percent of all marriages in 2003 to 30 percent in 2013. ​

When people from different countries or cultures come together to form a family unit the actual practicalities of daily life can often be somewhat challenging. They may indeed speak the language of love, but face linguistic and cultural hurdles, and see and understand the world in different ways. Once the couple chooses to settle in Singapore then they must face the additional issues of immigration, unemployment and the stress of adapting to a new environment. According to counsellors and divorce lawyers, these cross-country unions are likely to collapse if they do not have a stable foundation.​

“What we hope to do is have the people start out on a proper footing to have​as great a chance for success in their marriages, as much as possible.” Minister for Social and Family Development Chan Chun Sing

​This is where Care Corner comes in. The charity helps new couples to open the lines of communication, to manage their expectations of each other and to strengthen their bond through a series of marriage preparation programmes and marriage support programmes. The programmes also help couples to focus on preparing to settle down in Singapore, changing citizenship, negotiating the laws and language of a new country, and on managing finances. Transnational couples are encouraged to attend these programmes, which consist of workshops, activities, group sharing and mini lectures, on a voluntary basis. The programmes are open to all couples, regardless of their financial situation.

​Share your language skills

If you are proficient in Tamil, Malay, Bahasa Indonesia, Thai or Tagalog, have empathy towards other cultures and can commit one day a week or when needed, then Care Corner needs you. They are looking for volunteers to translate these marriage programmes. Your translation skills could support spouses who have recently arrived in Singapore and help transnational couples to learn about each other, learn how to live with each other and learn how to live and get involved in Singapore life. Your support could help build families, build communities and build the Singapore of tomorrow.